Hello to the States!!!!

I have email! I thought this day would never come!!!!! Everyone said it was Hungarian red tape but, I did not believe them. Well now I am a believer! Things are never what it seems. Ok so I am back on the internet after three long weeks and do not know what to say. I don't know where to start. We have been in Budapest for about two and a half weeks. Wow !!!! OK. Between fixing meals, cleaning up, baths, and dealing with a lot of emotional children trying to adjust I do not have much time for anything else. I think I am learning more Hungarian then the kids are learning English. No I am just kidding but, really the children fit right in here with the Magyar people and there is very litttle English spoken here in Budapest. The people are very reserved to say the least. The culture is very different from the USA. People are very interested in us but, do not want us to talk to them. Grocery shopping can be a bit stressful with six children and no meat is labeled in English so we have had lamb, pork, liver ect.... thinking it was ground hamburger. Liver is big here!!!! The three youngest Nemeths have been raised on Liver and a whole lot of it. They love Liver!!!! The three oldest Nemeths are disguisted by the sight of it. So I have them literally gagging and Cole actually threw up his lunch watching the three younger ones eat liver patae or however you spell it.

The city is very interesting and we are getting quite good at mastering the metro system. The law here prohibats any building higher then 15 stories but, I have not even seen one more than 10 stories as of yet. We have gone to the Circus, Zoo, Parks, and many musuems. We went to the Buda Castle last weekend and saw a spectacular site from top the Buda Hills on to the city which is the Pest side.

We live in a two hundred year old apartment (flat). So that can be very interesting at times. Between water ice cold or burning hot or not at all, no electricity, I think I will never complain about my home again. The air is full of dirt and smog. People wear masks over their faces to protect their lungs from all the dust in the air. Communism has definetely taken its toll on these people. We went to our interpretors house on Sprinkling Monday which is an Hungarian Holiday. The men and boys will take colgne say a poem and spray the heads of all the women and girls in the house. I smelled like a cheap perfume store that night but, I was in good company because every other female did too. We have gotten close to our Andrea and her family through this whole thing and will continue a relationship. Pray for Andrea and her four girls they have suffered the lose of a wonderful husband and father through a bomb blast in Turkey. They hurt so deeply it is painful to all who care for this wonderful family.

On to the Nemeth news. We are doing well. The children are adjusting to eachother and we are bonding as a family quite remarkably. Gage and Cole have taken Drew over completely. The girls are very close to me and will fight for my attention. When Tom comes home from work he is about knocked off his feet by a stampede of Nemeths ready to greet him. We get all kinds of looks when we walk down the street because we all hold hands so its like a wall coming at you and poeple are not quite sure what to do. The children have poor hygiene which we are not surprised, the first night I gave them a bath they just screamed and screamed. When Tom went to help brush their teeth they did not know what to do. Monika and Kira have major decay. Monika has her permanent teeth so this will be a major undertaking. Pray for Monika she has had a very heard time in her short life and will need some abdomanal surgery as well as follow up with a cardiologist in the states. Monika is strong and very responsive to the entire family. She is very open when I show her affection and has had to be the Mommy way to long!!!! She has gladly is passed that job to me. Kira (Alexandra) is very loving and mommy's big helper. She loves to sweep, clean bathrooms, chop vegtables, and wash dishes. She has a very strong personality and emotionally takes over if I am not on it. She is very intelligent and is picking up English very quickly. Drew (Laszlo) is very much the all boy kind of kid. He only knows try and try until you hit a brick wall and then climb, climb climb. He is the snuggle bug and the baby of the family in everyway. Tom has taken an immediate liking to him and Tom usually can be seen with his lips wrapped around Drew. The five older Nemeths miss home desperately and can't wait to go home to the point of tears sometimes. (I just hold Tom until he stops crying even if it takes all night!!!! HAHAHA) We have not been gone from home for a month ever so it is very hard.

The three youngest Nemeths are amazed at everything from escalators, boats, elevators, dvds, cell phones, restaurants, and well just about anything that is modern. They can not help pushing buttons on everything from the refrigerator off button to the subway emergency door opener! OH ohyahhh!!! That was fun!!!! Washing machines absolutely undue them, they can not figure out how the box can clean clothes.

We have enjoyed seeing Tom's family I think the most of all. They are so excited to see all of us even the newest additions. They have alot of family stories and alot of missing pieces to the Nemeth/Presits history. These two families as well as all the Hungarian people are resiliant, strong, and most of all determined to never give up!!! in the face of all kinds of difficulties. I did not know that the biggest Jewish synaguage in Europe is right here in Budapest. 250,000 Jews were killed during World War 2 here in Hungary. Thousands were shot into the Duna River and as a Memorial they have bronzed hundreds of shoes right next to this terrible site all along the river. Well I don't want to end on that note so I will end on this one! I am missing you all terribly and my prayers are with you in the States as you pick out homeschooling materials, go to work, recovering from surgeries, ministering to others, and going about your lives as well. Jesus is Lord of ALL! He sees ALL!!! He LOVES ALL!!!! But!! MOST OF ALL HE IS RISEN FROM THE DEAD AND HE IS LORD!!!!!!!EVERY KNEEE SHALL BOW AND EVERY TONGUE CONFESS THAT JESUS CHRIST IS LORD!!!! Until we meet again, Kristin